Day 10 - Rated "R"

Huge progress today! I bought a notebook for class which is exciting because A. I was able to find one and B. I did it in French. "Le tableau grande si vous plais".

Roger and I had lunch at Pell Mell again, where we both had the duck leg served with vegetables. Easily the best restaurant of all time and if anyone is able to visit, it would be on our list of places to dine.

The good news is today is we're celebrating our 5th month together! Our lives have changed so much since we met and I would never have imagine life would ever being so wonderful.

Oh, and more good news is Jen should be visiting soon. Fingers crossed.
The frustrating news came this afternoon when my french teacher told me it's typical for Americans to have trouble pronouncing the french Rs.
-doh!
You have to make the sound like you getting the phlegm out of the back of your throat, crinkle your nose and make a frowning face all at the same time just to make this sound. She's explaining all this to me in french of course and wish I could see the shocked look on my face as I'm watching her contort her own face with her fingers while simultaneously trying to hock a "R" loogey. She wants me to practice this in the mirror at home.
This may be the most romantic language but the training is brutal.

Not to mention, most of the consonants at the end of their words are not prounounced at all or are added on to the word that follows that word when spoken.
More bad news, she said that when I speak french I have a spanish-accent. Phenomenal. When's the last time you heard a mexican say "Oui oui monsieur" or "Scusi Mademoiselle, comment allez vous?".
I guess I should ditch the spanish-to-french instructional CDs I borrowed from Roger. The two years of college Italian and Roger's recent attempts to teach me Catalan are not helping. My head is spinning.

some self-portraits I took on my way to school today.

In the elevator.

I love this graffiti'd wall.

Some scenery of my route.

The rat walking the cat.

The town has many impressive wall murals, this petite one makes me smile.

I turn in front of this Iraelian market to get to my school. The chicken roasting on the spits in the window fall off sometimes onto the ground. This also makes me smile even though I feel bad for the shop owner when they do.

One of the many fruit stands.